The study conducted by Al Ansari and al Khadher (2011) formulated a list consisting of 42 leadership competencies needed for library and information professionals necessary for their vocational success. Of these competencies, 141 library managers rated the most important competencies. These were then translated into a leadership model by the authors.
In order to create the competency model, the authors identified various leadership competencies mentioned in the literature, while taking into consideration skills already indicated as essential for Kuwaiti leaders. The final list consisted of 42 competencies, grouped into six categories, as follows: managerial effectiveness- referring to traits reflected as a manager, among them problem solving, resource utilization and delegating authority. The second category is cognitive skills, which includes functions such as open mindedness, creativity and information analysis. The third category refers to necessary social skills, including communication skills, listening capability and ability to function in a political environment. The fourth category refers to motivation, including activeness, motivation towards achievement and ability to motivate staff, as well as initiative taking. The fifth category refers to personal traits such as self-confidence, self-control, trustworthiness and ability to accept criticism. The sixth and last category refers to occupational skills such as ethical and professional standards, commitment to learning and striving for service excellence or improvement.
These 42 traits were given to 141 subjects, who were asked to rate their importance in their work. After calculating mean scores, a list of top ten competencies was formed:
Committed to high ethical and professional standards; committed to achieve organizational goals; self-confidence; trustworthy; energetic; initiative and ready to act; high motivation to achieve and motivate staff; communicates effectively/builds good work relationships; exhibits an open mind to new ideas; and listens actively.
In conclusion, the authors’ state that the information derived from their research can serve as a starting point for developing curricula for librarians and library education in Kuwait, as well as serving as selection criteria for candidates for these positions.
Though the article was innovative and novel in its field, it suffers from several weaknesses. First, it based its initial list of traits on an extensive literature review, though it seems that the prevalent literature refers to values that may differ from values in Kuwaiti society. As Sutton (2013) points out, different cultures or countries value and emphasize different competencies. For instance, behavioral competencies are often associated with the United States while functional or pragmatic competencies are associated with the United Kingdom.
Thus, it is possible that by choosing competencies based on literature mainly generated in the US, UK and/ or Europe, rather that societies resembling that of Kuwait, the authors have inadvertently 'forced' categories upon the subjects that may not have been chosen had they been given the opportunity to name competencies rather than rate them.
Seeing as the authors claim to present data that is specifically tailored for the Kuwaiti professionals, it seems that using non-Kuwaiti norms may defeat the purpose. The suggested remedy would be to conduct a pilot study with open ended questions, asking professionals in the field to name competencies that are important for their work. The authors should then collate the data and see how it corresponds to the current literature on the subject.
In this way, researchers will be able to achieve two goals; first, they will identify competencies that are specifically related to Kuwaiti information professionals and librarians. In conclusion, in order to truly ascertain the competencies required for Kuwaiti information professionals, researchers must address the issue on two levels; the local features unique to Kuwait or its cultural vicinity, and global competencies specific to the field of information professionals.
References:
Al Ansari, H., & al Khadher, O. (2011), Developing a leadership competency model for library and information professionals in Kuwait. Libri, 61(3), 239-246.
Soutter, J. L. (2013), Academic Librarian Competency as Defined in the Library and Information Science Journal Literature of 2001‒2005 and 2011. Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 8(1).
